Unit 12 - Eating and Drinking

Dh’ ith mi cus! "I ate too much!"

When we ask somebody if they would like something to eat, we would generally say "an gabh sibh…?" (literally, will you take?) or, in the informal mode, "an gabh thu …?" although, as you will see in the following conversation, there are at least two other common ways of saying the same thing.

an gabh sibh?

(lit.) will you take (formal)?

an gabh thu?

(lit.) will you take (informal)?

The other phrases to look out for here are the ways of asking if somebody is hungry - a bheil an t-acras oirbh/ort? (literally, is hunger on you?) and a bheil am pathadh oirbh/ort? (is thirst on you?).

Note also that we don't tend to say "please" (ma 's e ur toil e/ma 's e do thoil e) as much in Gaelic as it is said in English. Politeness is conveyed by the mode of language usage, and the employment of the plural/formal form where appropriate, rather than the obligatory use of a particular phrase.

a bheil an t-acras oirbh?

(lit), is hunger on you?

a bheil an t-acras ort

(lit), is hunger on you? (informal)

a bheil am pathadh oirbh?

(lit), is thirst on you?

a bheil am pathadh ort?

(lit), is thirst on you? (informal)

ma 's e ur toil e

please

ma 's e do thoil e

please (informal)

Transcript 1

Now listen to the conversation in transcript 1 where Iain and Eilidh decide what to have for breakfast.

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